5 Reasons Meditation May Help During Cancer Treatment
It can be devastating to be diagnosed with cancer for both the individual and the family. Living with cancer can be stressful and even painful. Undergoing chemotherapy or cancer radiation is extremely painful and draining and can leave a person very depressed. The emotional upheaval that cancer treatment takes a person through also requires to be addressed to give the person a positive outlook on recovery.
This is where meditation during cancer treatment can make a difference. There is no evidence in oncology to show that meditation helps to heal from cancer in any sort of way. However, people living with cancer who meditate report being more in control of their mood and emotions and experiencing less stress. The medical view on the subject is that there really is no downside to practicing meditation even if there may be no observable difference. While meditation takes some time to master and do it right, it eventually becomes a habit.
Meditation is an age-old practice of focusing on one’s own breath and bringing one’s attention and focus to a singular point of being. While at first, anyone trying to meditate finds it very hard to drown out distractions or passing random thoughts. But with more practice, the mind quiets down and is able to drown out the ‘noise’ of their surrounding environment. In effect, people find themselves more in control of their emotions like sadness, anger, denial or guilt and begin to live in the moment.
Benefits of Meditation for cancer patients
Meditation is becoming a more common part of cancer treatment. Cancer patients have reported meditation benefits including greater tolerance of side effects from chemo or radiation therapy during their meditative journey. Let's look into some of the main benefits of meditation for cancer patients.
Decreases stress and anxiety
Meditation improves mental health. As mindfulness increases, one’s natural instinct to react on impulse reduces and one is able to respond beyond stress and anxiety. This also means there is a lot more control over one’s emotions and one stops feeling swept away by moods or any other external factor. This gives the person a feeling of being in control of one’s self - an important perspective for someone undergoing cancer treatment with harsh side effects that can be expected from chemotherapy and cancer radiation.
Improves sleep
Meditation for cancer patients helps in improving sleep. Restless sleep is often experienced by cancer patients. A calm mind can sleep better and in turn give the body a full rest. This decreases the feeling of exhaustion that cancer patients often feel.
Increases clarity and focus
A person having cancer, that regularly practices meditation, sees a marked improvement in clarity and focus. The person can think clearer, find it easier to make decisions and can even take up a new hobby or pastime.
Boosts energy
Fatigue is a common complaint for all cancer patients. Mindfulness helps conserve energy that otherwise is spent on anxiety and stress. This helps the outlook that cancer patients have on life.
Reduces loneliness
Ultimately, it helps people to get over the gravity of their illness and go back to connecting with people like they normally would. Cancer can be a very lonely place with patients feeling a strong sense of disconnection from loved ones. Meditation helps people re-engage with people and maintain their social bonds.
Best oncology or cancer treatment hospital in Delhi
As far as medical facilities available in and around Delhi, you can expect established departments of oncology in various hospitals. The Park Group of Hospitals offers state-of-the-art facilities with a medical team that covers cancer treatment hospital end-to-end from a holistic perspective. We are proud to be considered one of the best cancer hospitals in Delhi with a cancer hospital in Palam Vihar, Gurgaon. We have a team of cancer specialists in Gurugram who have several decades of experience put together and can take you through all the cancer treatments and support available.
